Wild Frontier
by jaxi
Summary: this is a story of the first Robin and my OC Albian it is also set in my own Superhero universe and introduces a cousin that i created for Dick so that he will have a living reminder of who he was. enjoy


Wild Frontier

Dick Grayson, former circus acrobat and ward to billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne marvelled at the beautiful countryside around him, unspoilt and untouched he found this was the best place he could have chosen for a foreign vacation and where better to come then to the land of Guinness, the Emerald Isle itself.

He stretched a little and set his fishing equipment up. He was used to the more extravagant fishing trips, when Bruce agreed to a trip that is and other – considerations didn't take precedent. Still he had agreed to let him come here alone and for a thirteen year old teenager this was heaven.

He looked down a little way to see a woman sitting quietly reading a book, smoking a cigarette and sipping from a flask. She was wearing a t-shirt with an Ozzy Osborne logo blazed across the front and he felt his jaw drop a little when she stood up.

She had a body to die for. Perfectly proportioned and it made him think of Kory although she wasn't as big as Kory in that department she was still big.

Her long auburn hair was tied into a ponytail and she wore designer sunglasses her denim shorts sat snugly round her backside and he marvelled at the toned legs. She obviously worked out.

She glanced up from her book and looked in his direction she nodded once and went back to reading. Dick enjoyed the solitude but he wouldn't mind the company. Leaving his equipment where it was he sauntered down.

"Hi" he greeted.

She looked up and set her book down after placing the marker in her page.

"Hi" she smiled and dick fell a little in love with that smile.

"Dick Grayson" he introduced and held his hand out.

"Caroline" She shook his hand and looked back at his set up "Tell you what Mister Grayson, why don't you bring your equipment down here. You won't catch much up there I tried that yesterday"

He didn't need telling twice.

She helped him set up and to be honest she was grateful for the company although it didn't distract her much.

"So, where in America are you from?" She asked "Coffee?"

"Please" Dick thanked her as she handed him a mug "Originally Florida, but I live in Gotham."

"Ah, The city of the Dark Knight" She smirked.

"You've heard of him?" Dicks eyes widened a little.

"Just the myths" She sipped her coffee.

"That's a strange accent you have." He observed "Mixed"

"I was born in Nottingham, raised in Scotland and been all over the place ever since" She smiled and changed the bait on her line.

Dick nodded a little it was a beautiful accent but then in his own little teenage crush way anything about her was beautiful. When she took her sunglasses off he found himself looking into the most beautiful dark green eyes he had ever seen. He had never seen a shade of green like it, forest green Alfred would say.

He thought his eye colour was unusual but hers were stunning. He felt his cheeks colour a little and returned his attention to the water.

Across from where they sat was what looked like an abandoned farm house. He thought abandoned because in the short couple of hours he had already been here he had seen no one come or go and he knew enough about Irish culture to know that there was always someone at home.

He went back to his fishing but it didn't escape his notice that the woman now hauling in a trout was keeping a watchful eye on the place and he began to wonder who she really was, aside from drop dead gorgeous goddess that she was.

Caroline waited until Dick excused himself. When he asked where the nearest facilities were she directed him to a small café a little further down the road. A Farmhouse that doubled a as roadside café and guest house, its where she was staying at the moment.

She shook her head a little and from a separate flask she poured herself a small measure of Bacardi and added a dash of coke from her coke bottle. She was relieved to discover the young man was on his own. The last thing she wanted was the Darkly Knight on her doorstep. Then again she hadn't seen him for a few years but she had heard he had a sidekick.

He was a cute kid polite too and she was well aware of the way he had stared at her earlier. _Way out of your league lad_ she thought with amusement and sipped her Bacardi.

Caroline MacDonald was a beautiful woman with a secret that had been part of her for a long, long time. She was the British heroine Albian, leader of the Heroes of Avalon and one of the lands best loved Heroes for her unswerving loyalty and devotion to the flag and the crown. She didn't much care for politics, she'd seen enough prime ministers come and go in her time to never put a lot of stock in what they said or did.

She was the daughter of a god and an immortal and that made her immortal to the extent that no weapon man made could harm her, the only weapons that could cause her harm or kill her were those forged by the gods in particular the ones forged by the goddess Maab.

She was the daughter of the Green man, Hearne the Hunter, the father of the wild and the Green, the Stag headed god of Sherwood Forest her mother was one of the oldest Immortals to walk the earth, she had met the other three.

All good friends too.

Life had been unusual to say the least. She was born in 1090 and over the long centuries she had not only learnt many of her own skills but been the victim of rape, she had seen heartache and joy, triumph and disaster she'd even fought alongside X-Men, Captain America and even taught the Batman a few things when he came to find the so called Union Detective.

She doubted Dick had known that seeing as Bruce tended to keep his secrets to himself. She hadn't seen him since he left her tutelage but she knew very well who he was, and he had figured out who she was that was the one reason she agreed to teach him what she knew, that he had worked out her identity before approaching her. The man had a keen mind, even if he was a little obsessed.

She lit a cigarette and went back to reading her book. When Dick came back they sat in a companiable company chatting and Dick even caught several Trout for his dinner that night.

She disappeared to the café and returned a little later with a couple of cheeseburgers and chips and a couple of coffees.

Dick warmed to her and Caroline wondered if he was the reason that the Dark Knight didn't seem so obsessive of late. Sometimes having a sidekick did ground you she had a team to keep her grounded.

About five O'clock he saw a Car with Northern Irish plates pull into the drive of the farmhouse.

There was something not altogether right about the man that exited the vehicle. Dick had always had a keen eye and he knew when something was not right. The Farmhouse was out of the way but over the next hour several cars pulled in including a big transit van.

He put his sunglasses on and noticed out of the corner of his eye his companion keep a moiré interested watch ion the arrivals.

Soon after that she packed her fishing equipment away said she'd see him in the morning and walked away to her car.

Mrs McCauley was just as Dick believed an Irish woman would be, bubbly, friendly and full of wonderful stories. They rented out their rooms to tourists to help make ends meet. The farm itself had gone under when their cows had to be destroyed due to foot and mouth, a particularly nasty disease that could run like the plague through a farmers herd and it was transferable from human to animal although the human rarely realised they had it. It would sit in their boots and then transfer that to the herd pr the flock.

It was to Farm animals what the Black Death or Smallpox was to humans. With the compensation that the government gave the McCauley's and others like them they turned their Farm into a little business. Once the government had given their farm the all clear that is.

"Evening Richard" She greeted as he came in and took his boots off. "I haven't cooked tea yet, the husband is out"

At the moment he was the only guest so he was given a little more attention then normal and the fact that he was a handsome teenage American boy helped too.

He had grown fond of the couple and would sit up talking to them. He proudly held up his catch just as old man McCauley came in.

"Oh you done caught a good catch lad" He ruffled Dicks hair affectionately and led him into the kitchen "You can help gut them"

Dick couldn't wait.

He lay in his bed but couldn't escape the thought that there was something going on at that house. He had asked his hosts about the house and they had told him that as far as they knew the Farm had been empty for nigh on twenty years. but it might have finally been brought.

It had been left when the owners died, no one had wanted the house for some reason or other that neither of his hosts were willing to divulge but Jed McCauley had warned him that no good came to anyone who lived there and to stay away.

Had he been any other tourist he might have done that but he was the scion of the Batman, his squire and his curiosity was up.

He looked round the wall and saw a light on in the front of the house for a house that had some sort of evil reputation it seemed pretty full now. He come behind the back of the Transit and tried opening the door. Reaching into his utility belt he took a lock pick out and juggled with the locks a little bit until he heard the click.

He put the lock pick away and as quietly as he could opened the transit door and with his small torch looked around, his jaw fell when he saw all the guns that were racked up and the explosives.

A Hand closed on his shoulder and he went to punch them only to see a stern featured woman standing behind him.

She wore a black coat with a white t-shire and blue jeans and a mask that hid her eyes. She hauled him away and back behind the wall. He saw the logo on the back of her Coat, the British isles with the grail and Excalibur. It was beautifully done and it was then he realised who this was.

He had heard of Albian, Bruce had told him all about her. How she was the Union Detective.

"What are you doing here" She hissed "Is the Batman here!"

If it wasn't for the fact she was looking extremely pissed off with him he would have fallen in love for the second time that day, that and the fact she carried a strange looking sidearm and a Claymore sword in a scabbard on her back.

Robin didn't agree with guns but he knew that some crime fighters carried them. She paced a bit.

"no he's not here I don't need him at my back all the time" Robin defiantly said.

That much was true since the formation of a new Teen Titans he had been working away more and more from his mentor and it was causing an estrangement,

_Teenagers_ she thought.

"Well I can't change the fact that you are here. Tell me what you saw in that van"

"There were lots of guns and explosives"

"What type of guns"

"Semi-automatics, handguns sniper rifles all high tech"

"Shit" she cursed and shook her head. Well she had to make the best of a bad situation "You do as I tell you Robin. I am not bossing you about but its for your own safety as well as mine, you do as I tell you, is that understood?"

Robin nodded. Wait till he told the others, he was working with Albian he couldn't help but feel a little proud of that fact.

"Right come on."

They snuck round the wall and over to the blind spot of the corner yard. She looked up to see a Camera trained down on the courtyard. Robin watched as she detached a small radio device from her belt and gave it to him.

"Put this on the back."

"Is it a disruptor of some kind?" he asked turning it over.

"It won't show the true picture. It locks in on the last image and keeps that showing no matter what is really going on." She explained and crouching down she cupped her hands giving him a foothold. He put his foot in and she lifted him with ease until he was able to place the disrupt on the back of the camera.

She brushed her hands and looked at his costume "Cute boots" she commented. Robin flushed a little and followed her as she moved along the side wall. He ducked as she told him and waited.

She unslung a grappling hook and stepped back. With a careful aim she fired it and Robin watched as it found its mark. She pulled it taut a little and nodded to herself satisfied that it would hold "hop on" she told him.

"Huh?"  
"My back, hop on my back" She explained.

"Ummmm" He flushed a little and she rolled her eyes.

"Robin I have a teenage daughter your age and there is nothing that will cause me any embarrassment."

Robin took a deep breath _bet your daughter doesn't have an appendage with a mind of its own_ he ruefully thought and did as she told him.

"Ready?" She asked as if it was nothing to her. He didn't trust himself to answer so he nodded and next thing he knew he was zooming up the side of the house. He clung on then when they had reached the top he lowered himself to the slate roof.

He waited until she had unslung her hook and rejoined him.

He wrapped his cloak around him, more to cover his slight embarrassment then anything to do with the weather.

It was a warm summers night. If she noticed she didn't say anything about it and for that he was grateful.

She sat on the roof next to him and looked around.

"Nice view isn't it" she commented. He nodded "Ok what you have walked into is an IRA cell operating out of here. We are only ten miles from the boarder to Northern Ireland and last night these men, the men in this house were given the orders to attack one of the biggest events to hit the North each year. The annual match between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland" Robin stared in horror at her "its always a full stadium, the RUC and Army presence is always at a high level and to fanatics like this its Christmas time."

"But they'll kill their own won't they?" He scowled.

"To their mind its acceptable casualties in War. What do you know of the troubles?"

"Only what I have learnt at school and from the news." He looked to the ground "I know that my country has some elements that help the IRA"

"NORAID" She nodded "Yeah well even Libya gives the IRA weapons so don't feel so bad about it. Its been a hot bed of problems for more years then is truly recognised. Started with Elizabeth the first and escalated with William of Orange and spiralled since then"

"You sound like you know it from a personal point of view" he remarked.

"Hmm" She non-commitaly spoke and patted his knee "C'mon lets take em out. Remember do as I do and don't put yourself in the firing line"

"Yes ma'am" he squeaked.

She chuckled to herself and moved to the skylight. This was new. Robin thought that this had only been put in the last few months. She got her fingers round the edge and with a pull she opened the skylight. He had heard that she was strong but this impressed him a little.

"By the way Mr Grayson" She commented causing him to start, being caught off guard completely he began to panic a little "did you enjoy your trout?"  
"Caroline?" he hissed she tipped him a wink and motioned him through the window.

He felt honoured, he knew who the Union Detective was and whilst he had no idea why she had chosen that moment to reveal herself to him he was proud that she had.

She dropped down behind him and closed the window. Then both moving as silently as they could they made their way to the door.

Robin was aware that this was nothing like fighting the crazy elements of Gotham. This was fighting fanatics and the closest her had ever come to that was Ras Al Ghul.

He opened the door quietly and peered round then stepped back in. he told her there were two men smoking at the top of the stairs talking in Gaelic. Albian listened and cursed to herself and told Robin that they were planning to move within the hour. That meant this had to be done quick and by the numbers.

They moved down the corridor as silent as the dead. The two men didn't know what hit them. Robin took one down in the way the Batman had always taught him whilst Albian wrapped her right forearm round the others neck and grabbed him in a sleeper hold cutting off his air supply until he passed out. They removed the unconscious bodies and silently made their way down the stairs.

In the main lounge the group sat. the air was heavy with smoke haze and Robin could see all manners of handguns sitting on the table. He glanced at Albian who was watching and listening to them.

He waited until she gave the signal and then all hell broke loose.

He moved like lightning, knowing that he had to do this quick because those men would use those guns and he didn't fancy going back to Gotham and telling the Batman he was shot helping Albian.

As she moved so did he and launched himself in the air, grabbing onto a low hanging beam he drove his feet into the face of the nearest terrorist and side flipped narrowly avoiding the bullet that was now imbedding itself in the wall.

Albian ducked and brought her foot up into the stomach of another sending him crashing into the table and splintering it, spreading the weapons and the money they had been counting all over the floor.

He uppercut another knocking his teeth out and elbow jammed him breaking his nose and knocking him stone cold.

They were making good headway three down, three to go.

Albian reeled as the biggest man and obviously the leader of the group caught a lucky punch to the side of her face and turned to face Robin bringing his Detonics to bear.

"Robin duck!" She warned. He didn't need telling twice and dived behind the sofa as the bullets imbedded in the wall and the pictures that hung on the walls,.

He heard another gunshot and peered over the top of the sofa so see Albian holding her own weapon out and the leader of the cell laying on the floor, a hole in the side of his head. She vaulted over the chair and brought her knee into advancing swearing Irishman's groin.

Robin jumped into the air, he somersaulted and brought his weight down on the back of the last man hearing the satisfied crunch of bone and turned as silence fell.

Albian holstered her gun and crouched down by the body of the dead man and shook her head "Would have liked to have seen you stand trial" She muttered more to herself and crossed to the phone.

Robin looked at her as they sat in her car watching as the Garda and British Army swarmed over the house bringing the men out and loading them into the back of a Garda van and a covered body into the back of the black ambulance.

"Do you always use guns?" He asked as he sipped a hot chocolate.

He was aching and he was bruised from the couple of punches he received. Her mouth had a lovely yellow and purple bruise.

"No" She told him "but it was either that or I call Bruce and tell him his ward is dead. Wouldn't be a good thing would it?" Robin shook his head "So tell me, how long has it been since you last saw Michael?"

Robin turned his head and looked at her "Michael?"

Albian nodded and starting her engine headed away from the farmhouse.

The remote airfield didn't look too spectacular probably used to being the racing elite in for Irelands famous horse racing meets. He was still puzzled, wondering how she knew his beloved older cousin. They had stopped at the farmhouse he was lodging at and got his things. He thanked the Macaulay's and promised he would come see them again. A promise he would keep years later but under very different circumstances.

Caroline was sitting on her bonnet smoking and waiting when finally out of nowhere a jet that Dick had never seen before landed.

"Whoa!" he whistled and got out

"That's _The Camelot_" She told him

As the Engines silenced the ramp came down and a tall well built man in a pair of black jeans, a blue jacket with a target motif on the back and a red t-shirt that clung to his impressive physique made his way down.

His hair was as Black as coal and Dick's jaw dropped a little as memories ran unbidden through his head.

He set the polystyrene cup on the floor and ran, sprinted to the bigger man and was swept into a bear hug the likes of which he never thought he would see again.

He hadn't seen Michael since he left Gotham to join the US Air Bourne Rangers. They had kept in touch over the years. he was the only link Dick had to his life before Gotham and he was so happy to see him that the tears fell freely down his face.

"Mickey I – I "

Michael Steele, the son of Dicks fathers sister chuckled "C'mon lil bird we'll catch up on the way home"

Caroline drove her car into the back of the jet and took her place at the controls leaving Dick and Michael to catch up.

Gotham.

The Camelot touched down in the private airfield behind Wayne Manor. Dick emerged into the early evening light with Michael and Caroline. He had a great time. He had spent the rest of his holiday with his cousin learning how he was Marksman and Caroline's most trusted lieutenant. He had trained and helped the HOA on a number of cases and become good friends with them all, especially Seer and Ghost.

Bruce walked into the light and shook Michaels hand. He had only been Michaels guardian for a short time but he had missed him and now Michael was remaining in Gotham for a short while.

He listened as Dick told him all about Ireland and Caroline saw the frown crease his brow and stood straighter as he made his way over towards her leaving Alfred to say hello to the young man.

"IRA eh?" He stood next to her "I don't approve of that"

"Well it's a good job you weren't there then isn't it" She replied and dug her hands into her jacket pockets. "he's a credit to you Bruce, but he's a growing young man. Don't try and mould him too much in your image or you may find that he will rebel. Let him grow and he will be a squire that you will be proud of."  
"You think I can't handle that?" He scowled a little perturbed that she should be telling him how to be a father.

"Not saying you can't but we both know how you like to control things. Fear yeah you do a good job of that but teenagers, we can't control them Bruce they have their own minds, their own personalities and they will question. He's 13 in another couple of years he'll be looking to strike out from under your shadow old friend and you may have to let him do that" She stood straighter as Dick came over.

"Do you really have to go I was hoping to introduce you to the Titans."

"Sorry Dick, I have responsibilities back home. We'll see each other again"

Dick nodded certain that they would he kissed her cheek and stepped back letting Michael say his goodbyes.

She turned back to Bruce and regarded him for a moment "You know Bruce I was impressed six years ago when you came to me knowing who I was and wanting to learn what I knew you really are the only hope Gotham has. I am proud of you" she patted his arm and climbed back into the Jet then stopped and said "I think you'll find Michael is a credit to you as well" and with that the door closed and as Bruce rejoined the others the Camelot took off and headed back to its home.


End file.
